


The Other Side Of Paradise

by kirsi__yashika



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Actor Erwin Smith, Angst, Broken Promises, Character Death, Crazy Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Heavy Angst, Hurt, Hurt No Comfort, I Made Myself Cry, I Tried, M/M, Multi, Murder, Obsession, Obsessive Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Pain, Reunions, Sad Ending, Sad Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), What Have I Done
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:20:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29348784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kirsi__yashika/pseuds/kirsi__yashika
Summary: "Promise you won't forget about me.""I promise, Levi."When I was young and stupid my love left to be a rock and roll starAll promises ended up broken, though. Levi should have known better--why would Erwin come back?He booked a one way ticket, out west that's where they'd make itErwin had everything, and Levi was left with nothing. Why wasn't he allowed to be happy for once?I try to keep my cool but my life turns in slow motionAn Eruri fanfic inspired off of 'The Other Side Of Paradise', by Glass Animals.
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Eren Yeager, Levi & Hange Zoë, Levi Ackerman/Erwin Smith, Marie/Erwin Smith, Moblit Berner/Hange Zoë
Comments: 5
Kudos: 18





	1. Prologue : A Promise Made

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! It's my first time writing in a while, and my first time posting one here on ao3. I can't guarantee how well it'll turn out, but I have a really good plan for how this ff will turn out, so I'm hoping I can live up to my vision of it.
> 
> The prologue is a bit short, but the coming chapters will hopefully be longer, and I'll be trying to update every weekend. 
> 
> I'd also like to mention that this is inspired off of Glass Animals song called The Other Side Of Paradise! This'll be a dark fic with death and violence, so please don't read if you're triggered by that. Otherwise, I hope you all enjoy this work!

“Why do you always sit here alone?”

Levi’s small figure startled at the sudden voice near his ear, too lost in his own thoughts to have noticed the taller boy that had creeped up to him, catching him in a state of surprise. He tilted his head upwards to look directly at the other speaking to him--it was a guy, a good foot taller than he was, with neatly combed hair and proper clothing, just screaming ‘mama’s boy’. “What?” Was the only word that escaped Levi, his tone a bit strangled. 

“I asked why you always sit here alone. I’ve never seen you talk to anyone else, or do anything other than sit on this bench doing nothing.” The blond responded almost immediately, taking a seat besides Levi and placing down his book by his leg.

“Oh. I don’t have much of a reason. I just don’t have any friends here, and I get along better with the air particles around me than most of those annoying fucks.” He stated, voice turning into a grumble towards the end as he kicked away a pebble.

The taller let out a small chuckle, his eyes set on the raven haired boy. “I can’t blame you for that.” He mumbled, leaning back in his seat. “My name's Erwin. Erwin Smith. I’m a junior here.” Erwin said, introducing himself despite not having been asked to.

Levi rolled his eyes, letting out a small ‘tsk’ noise as he moved his head back up to look at Erwin. “I didn’t ask.”

“I know you didn’t, but I felt like introducing myself to you, is that such a problem?”

Levi sat in silence for a few seconds as Erwin held a hard stare, breathing out a huff. “Levi.” Was all he said, annoyed at himself for giving in, but deciding that Erwin didn’t seem to be a threat or have any malicious intent. He looked too much of a teacher's pet to do anything bad to him.

Erwin smiled. “Nice to meet you, Levi.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Levi bit at his growing nails, knees pulled up to his chest as his small body leaned against Erwin’s taller body. He heaved out a sigh, hands dropping from his mouth down to hold Erwin’s hand, who happy wrapped it back around his smaller one.

“Levi, is something wrong? You seem upset.” Erwin said, a frown forming on his face as he put down his phone to focus his attention on Levi.

The latter shook his head, leaning against Erwin’s arm. “It’s nothing big. It’s just- I just realized you’ll finally graduate later this year, and I still have a year to go. You’ll be free from this hell hole before I am, and you’ll head off to major in drama and acting, and we won’t get to see each other as often then.” He grabbed Erwin’s fingers, playing with them as his hair hooded his eyes.

Erwin was quick to wrap a hand around Levi’s frame, pulling him close to his side before planting a kiss on his head. “I know Levi, I know. It’ll be hard but.. I promise it won’t be the end. Alright? Let’s savor this year we have together as much as we can, put away the bad stuff and just focus on me.”

Levi smiled, nodding and leaning up to plant a kiss against his cheek. “I will.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And so the pair did. With joy filled eyes, the two males spent the year to the absolute max, hearts deep in love and heads filled with hope. Despite the end of the school year nearing, they kept their heads up high, spending late nights together, enveloped in blankets and cuddles, or going out every lunch to the nearby cafe. 

The truth was inevitable--Erwin would graduate and go to college, and Levi would be left behind for a year before going his own way, not having plans to attend college. Yet they held hope that it would work out, and that they’d have they’re happy ending. But sometimes, all stories don’t have a happy ending.

“No no no no no no no.” Levi mumbled, hands grabbing at his hair as tears began to swell around the edges of his eyes, his heart picking up. 

“Levi, please calm down, Levi-” Erwin tried, grabbing the smaller arm and pulling him towards his chest, trying to calm him down from falling into a full blown panic.

“Calm down? You want me to calm DOWN?” He said, his words progressively turning into a yell. “Erwin, yu’re moving all the way to FUCKING CALIFORNIA!” He yelled out, years beginning to fall as he threw himself away from Erwin’s grasp, staring up at him with pained eyes. “I- I knew that you’d leave for college, that it would be hard, but I thought you’d try and attend on nearby, not one across the fucking country!”

Erwin sighed, his eyes saddened as his heart clenched at Levi’s helpless sight. He had been prepared for backlash, for him to be upset, but didn’t think it would turn out this badly, He couldn’t back down now though, his scholarship was set and flight was booked. “Levi… I know this is hard, it is for me too, but I can’t give this scholarship up. You know this is my dream school, not to mention I have higher chances of making it over there. I understand we’ll barely be able to see each other, but I want you to believe in me and let me go.”

Levi sniffled, wiping his tears away with the sleeve of his sweater, looking up at Erwin with his bloodshot eyes. He shook his head, moving forwards to wrap his arms around Erwin and resting his head against his chest. “Youu stupid fucking idiot. I hate you so much.”

The taller let out a small laugh, wrapping his arms around Levi as well and stroking his hand through his hair, knowing how Levi expressed his love and sadness. “I know you do, I love you too.”

Levi held on tightly to Erwin, fists grabbing onto his shirt. “Erwin.. Promise me you won’t forget about me, that you’ll keep in contact with me. Please.” The words flowed out, looking for some last hope.

Erwin nodded, holding Levi tightly and kissing his hair. “I promise, Levi. I’ll never forget about you, ever. I’ll make sure to call you, and we can have our happy little life together when I finally make it big. Don’t ever worry about it.” A little smile grew on Erwin’s face, giving Levi’s back reassuring rubs.

“Promise…” Levi mumbled, nodding in acceptance as he held onto Erwin for the rest of that night. 

In the next few days, Levi finally waved off Erwin at the busy airport as he got ready to mount his flight, tears pooling as he gave a final hug to his love, a broken smile on his lips as he watched the tall blond mount the plane and disappear, his heart clenching and hand already feeling empty, the promise made between them bouncing in his head. 

But, as we all know, all good things never last.


	2. Too Far Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _A small smile came up on his lips, the hesitation he had felt earlier having completely left him as now, only pride and happiness came up in his system. ___

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I couldn't quite find a place to add this into in the story, so I'll mention it here to avoid confusion. This chapter takes place on April 3rd for them, and Levi grew up/is still in New Orleans, Louisiana while Erwin is in Los Angeles, California. Once again, thank you for reading and enjoy!

Heavy laughter filled the room as Erwin smiled brightly, having cracked a joke that made everyone in the area laugh, the cameras and lights focused on him and the man that interviewed him.

“Oh, that’s quite the joke, Erwin! You’re much more entertaining than I originally thought you would be--but then again, you are an actor. It’s your job to make people laugh and enjoy something.” The man said, calming down from his fit of laughter and wiping his eyes, leaning against his desk and looking over at Erwin, who still sat atop his couch. 

“Yes, it is, I’m glad I could crack you up so much.” He said with a nod, pulling out another grin as his teeth shone beneath the beaming lights, the crowd in the background letting out a loud cheer for him.

“We’ll be back soon, after this news break!” The TV flicked onto some advertisement, the dark room dulling as it came on, the faint sound of breathing being heard.

Levi sat on his couch, knees pulled up to his chest and his hand grabbing popcorn from a bowl that lay next to him, his dark eyes set on the TV, narrowing as the ad came on and Erwin disappeared. He let out a huff of annoyance, rolling his eyes as he fixed up his posture and placed his feet down on the ground, pushing the popcorn bowl towards the side of the sofa.

The living room Levi stood at was a mess. Clothing, glass, and ramen boxes lay scattered around the floor, the only light source being the TV and the dim sunlight that peeked in through the cracks in the curtains on his windows. Levi wouldn’t doubt that there was likely a rat or two somewhere in the mess in his living room. It was uncharacteristic of Levi to have such a messy living space--ever since he was young and small he prioritized cleanliness and organization. Yet there he stood, in a pile of shit and food, eye bags darker than ever and his black hair spiked and messy.

With a sigh, he stood straight and stretched, rubbing his eyes as he grabbed the remote and flicked to a different channel, one playing some random action movie than Levi could care less about. It was time to clean-up, at least get the place looking nicer so that he won’t regret it as much once he’s out of his depressive episode. Plus, Isabel had texted him that Farlan and her would be visiting in the afternoon to go grab dinner, so he wanted to look more presentable for his friends, at least.

He walked over to the light, switching it on and being momentarily blinded by the light, before going and opening up the windows, only then getting a full grasp on the shit hole he was living in, making him gag the second he caught sight of the floors. “Oh god…” He muttered, dashing for the kitchen to grab his cleaning supplies. 

Immediately, he got to work, picking up trash such as leftover food and boxes from the floor with gloved hands and dumping it into the trash can, nose scrunching up at the horrendous smell of rotting food and pasta. He closed up the trash bag the moment he finished cleaning up all the trash and dust, before removing and moving on to the next part--the clothing. Luckily there wasn’t much, he hadn’t changed a lot during the time his eyes were stuck watching world star Erwin on TV, but there was still a good amount of clothing strewn about. He scooped up his hoodies, sweatpants, and shirts, dragging them over to his laundry basket and dumping them down. He quickly shoved that into the washing machine, closing the lid and turning it on, allowing it to wash the dirty clothing.

Levi walked back to the center of the living room, wiping his forehead in relief that he was finally in a clean atmosphere, leaning against the sofa. His phone buzzed and he slid it out of his pocket, staring as he saw the twitter notification for Erwin’s account go off, showing a new, casual post. The interview was over, and it was just some selfie, already gaining thousands of likes and comments on it. He smiled slightly, thumb resting above the blond’s face, whispering something to himself before putting his phone on the coffee table. He needed to get ready for dinner with Isabel and Farlan.

Dragging himself upstairs, he took a quick shower, scrubbing off all the dirt and mess that had built up and making sure his greasy hair went back to its usual soft and fluffy texture after washing. He wrapped himself up in a towel and dried his hair, making his way back to his closet and browsing his clothing, most of it consisting of black. “She said we’re going to some casual restaurant so…” He mumbled to himself, not seeing the need to get too dressed up if they were going to a casual place. He slipped on a simple outfit consisting of a black turtleneck, a coat, and black jeans. He stood in front of the mirror staring at himself for a bit before whispering out, “I wonder what Erwin would think of me now.”

His wandering thoughts were soon interrupted by a loud knock that had come from the front door, his head tilting to look at it, straining to hear two familiar voices. He sighed softly, snatching his phone and slipping it into his coat pocket before opening the door, being greeted with the sight of his two best friends. 

“Levi! Thank god you actually cleaned up and got ready, I was preparing myself to knock the door in and drag you out myself!” Isabel’s voice rang out, filled with the same cheeriness it always had, a large smile on her lips.

Farlan, who stood behind her, nodded in agreement. “Yeah man, you’ve been locked up here in a shit hole for so long, I’m glad you finally stood up and cleaned. I was worried about you for a while.” He said, slapping a hand against Levi’s shoulder before nodding them along towards the car.

Levi rolled his eyes but didn’t say much, knowing they were correct. He locked the door, following Farlan and Isabel up to their car and climbing into the passenger seat, Isabel in the back and Farlan in the driver's seat.

“We’re headed to that one new restaurant nearby, Levi, is that alright with you?” Farlan questioned as he began to drive once everyone was buckled in.

Levi nodded, leaning back on his chair. “That’s fine. I heard it had good reviews too.” He leaned over to the radio, turning the dial and letting radio music fill up the car as he laid his head back. He looked out the window, watching as cars drove past and as the sun began to set, people retreating from the streets slowly but surely to settle in for the night.

The car soon arrived at the glowing restaurant, the parking lot halfway filled with people visiting the place to eat. Luckily for Levi, it didn’t seem too busy, and not too loud, that being enough to provide some comfort for him. The trio made their way out of the car, Farlan grabbing the keys and locking it before following Levi and Isabel into the restaurant. 

A waitress was quick to lead them to their seats after they arrived, the three being seated at a booth near the corner of the place. Isabel and Farlan took one side, while Levi took the other, menu’s being placed down in front of each. The waitress left afterwards, leaving them to choose their meal in peace.

Levi picked up his menu, eyes skimming through the various foods they had to offer. He wasn’t feeling very picky, he just wanted food due to the lack of nutrition and proper meals he had gotten the past week, so he went with the best option he first saw. “What are you guys getting? I’m just gonna get the Sirloin steak with fries and sushi.” He said, placing the menu back down. “Some black tea as well.”

Isabel looked up, nodding. “Sounds good! I’m getting the one dish with the lobster and fish, and whatever else comes with it.” She exclaimed, being more of a sea food person than the other two.

“I’ll probably get the chicken stew and lemonade.” Farlan said, stacking up the menus once they finished deciding and placing them by the edge of the table.

Only a few minutes later, the waitress came by, notepad in hand. They all announced their orders as she wrote them down neatly, giving them smiles before disappearing. The woman came back with their drinks soon after, leaving the table once again as they waited for their food to be done.

The first person to talk was Farlan, directing his attention and topic towards Levi. “So, Levi. I’m guessing you were crying over Erwin over a TV screen the past week, again, right?” He asked, raising an eyebrow .

Levi sighed, knowing they’d inevitably bring this up as he brought his tea up to his lips to take a sip. “What do you think?” He asked with an annoyed tone, gaining a sigh from both Farlan and Isabel. This was a hard topic, it always was whenever they brought it up.

“Levi, it’s unhealthy. You can’t hold yourself to that promise anymore, and you can’t mope over a man that doesn’t ever remember you every day of your life.” Isabel said with a small frown. She was worried, Farlan too, over Levi’s mental health. It was almost like he had taken an obsession to Erwin, the famous actor that used to be his lover back in high school.

Levi stared at the tea in front of him, eyebrows furrowing. “What, you think I don’t know it’s unhealthy?” He asked, shaking his head. “I know it’s unhealthy, I realized that a while ago. But it won’t stop me. I still love him.” He whispered the last part, tilting his head back up to look at Isabel and Farlan. “And I’m not gonna give up, you guys know it better than anyone else. Fuck, I don’t care if he’s completely forgotten about me, I don’t care if he loves that bitch named Marie now, I’m not gonna give up and find some other fucker that isn’t as good as Erwin. I won’t let him dump the promise he made to me like nothing.”

Farlan opened his mouth to talk, but was interrupted as the waitress came back with two trays in hand, carrying their food with a bright smile. SHe placed down their meals in front of them, before leaving them be.

Silence ensued as the three ate, some tension between them. Levi kept his eyes focused down onto his plate as he ate quickly, only then realizing that he was absolutely starving for a proper meal after having gone a week without one.

They soon finished up with their meals, Farlan speaking up as the check was brought. “I’ll pay for this, don’t worry about paying me back.” He said with a small smile, paying for their meal which, luckily for him, didn’t cost that much.

Once the payment went through, they got up, leaving the restaurant and returning to the car. The trip was silent, with only radio music filling up the space, yet the tension lay thick. Levi felt bad in a way, knowing they were in this position due to what he said, but he wouldn’t apologize or take back what he said--it was true and he wasn’t gonna deny it.

They soon pulled up to Levi’s house, the short man opening the door and getting out. He turned around, smiling at the other two and waving. They returned the smile, managing to lighten it up a bit and left Levi with a bit more security than he had when he left the restaurant.

Levi turned around, walking inside and locking the door behind him, kicking off his shoes and placing them beside the door. He threw his jacket onto the sofa and climbed the stairs to his room, changing himself from his casual clothing into his pajamas, washing his face and brushing his teeth. He turned off the lights around his house, returning to his bed, the TV light in front of his bed being the only thing that lit up the room, slight moonlight spilling in from the blinds.

Levi sat against his pillows, pulling up his laptop from his desk onto his lap. He opened it, squinting at the bright light that it produced before quickly typing in his password, loading google onto his screen. His hands laid across the keyboard with slight hesitance, before opening two tabs up. Apartments and California flight bookings, they read. Levi stared at the two for a few minutes, thinking his decisions over. He had enough money to afford living in California, and the area was nice.

Without many second thoughts, he looked at information for different apartment complexes and cheap flights. A good two hours had passed before Levi finished up his searching, and now, he sat, staring at the screen in front of him. A small smile came up on his lips, the hesitation he had felt earlier having completely left him as now, only pride and happiness came up in his system.

April 10, 2 - 5pm, one way flight from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Los Angeles, California. $146, United Airlines, nonstop flight. Booked by Levi Ackerman.


End file.
